Chapter 341 - 168: Exchange

Chapter 341: Chapter 168: Exchange

"After that, I kept hiding in the mountains," Zhao Dazhu said. "I didn’t dare go to crowded places or take the main roads, so I followed the mountain gullies. When I was hungry, I ate wild fruit; when I was thirsty, I drank from mountain springs. I was lucky, I didn’t run into any Mutant Beasts."

"Then later, I met Xiufen and Niuniu."

Wang Xiufen lowered her head, gently patting the child in her arms.

"They ran out of town," Zhao Dazhu continued. "Her husband was bitten by zombies trying to save them. She escaped with the child, ran into the mountains, and happened to run into me."

"So we started traveling together."

Xu Mo listened without speaking.

"We wanted to find a shelter," Zhao Dazhu went on. "We heard there were still people in some places, safe places. But we walked for a long time and never found one. Later, we heard that some shelters don’t take in outsiders, and some are even worse—once you go in, you can never get out."

Zhao Dazhu sighed.

"So we figured, forget it, let’s not look anymore. We’ll just find a place to hide on our own. Live one day at a time."

Xu Mo’s brows twitched slightly.

"Where did you hide?"

Zhao Dazhu was silent for a moment, then said:

"In a well."

"A well?"

"Yeah, a dry well," Zhao Dazhu said. "We found it while wandering in the mountains. It’s pretty deep, and there’s a hole at the bottom big enough to live in. So we climbed in."

Xu Mo’s brow furrowed.

’A dry well? Underground?’

’Could people really live in a place like that?’

Zhao Dazhu seemed to notice his doubt and continued:

"The well was dry, no water. But there was a hole at the bottom. We don’t know if someone dug it or if it was from a collapse. We climbed in to take a look, and it was pretty big inside. And..."

Zhao Dazhu paused, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret. "And the hole connects to an underground river."

Xu Mo’s gaze sharpened slightly.

’An underground river?’

"There are fish," Zhao Dazhu said, his eyes shining. "There are fish in that river—normal fish, not mutated. We made a net out of our clothes and could catch quite a few. We’ve survived on those fish until now."

Xu Mo was silent for a few seconds. This was rather unexpected.

An underground river, normal fish, a hidden shelter. ’These three people had actually found a place like this in the apocalypse, without facing major struggles or too many dangers.’

"You’ve just been hiding there this whole time?" he asked.

Zhao Dazhu nodded.

"For at least a year."

Xu Mo looked at him, feeling a swirl of complex emotions.

The apocalypse had been raging for so long. The outside world had been turned upside down. Countless people had died at the hands of zombies, and countless others struggled in despair. Yet these three people had been hiding by an underground river, surviving by catching fish this whole time.

’Their luck was almost absurd.’

"Then why did you come out?" Xu Mo asked.

The expressions on Zhao Dazhu’s and Xiufen’s faces fell.

"It got too hot."

He pointed toward the mountain barely visible in the distance.

"The water level in the river dropped. It used to be knee-deep, but now it’s only ankle-deep. The fish are getting scarcer too; sometimes we can’t catch a single one all day. We’ve been starving for days. We had no choice but to come out and find food."

Xu Mo nodded in understanding.

The high temperatures didn’t just affect the zombies; they also affected the underground river. The water level dropped, the fish population dwindled, and the food source they depended on was drying up. That’s why they had no choice but to risk coming out to search for supplies.

"We’ve been wandering for days," Zhao Dazhu said. "We’ve searched all the nearby villages, but anything useful was taken long ago. When we saw your vehicle today, we just thought..." He trailed off and gave an embarrassed laugh.

Xu Mo looked at them, an indescribable feeling welling up inside him.

These three had hidden away for nearly a year in the apocalypse, experiencing almost no major hardships. But their way of life had also left them with an insufficient understanding of the dangers of the outside world.

’To just walk straight up like that, with no cover and no guard. If they had run into someone with malicious intent, what would have happened to them?’

Xu Mo’s gaze swept over the rifle on Zhao Dazhu’s back. The stock was cracked, and the barrel was rusty—it looked like it hadn’t been used in a long time. Zhao Dazhu patted the body of the gun and said with some pride:

"Even though I’m almost out of ammo, it’s still a good deterrent against people with bad intentions. We ran into a few groups on the road, but when they saw I had a gun, they didn’t dare approach. This thing can save your life when it counts."

Xu Mo nodded, but he was mostly marveling at the man’s good luck.

’What kind of deterrent is a gun with no bullets?’ Xu Mo thought to himself. ’A real villain would only need to test them a little to know it’s empty. At that point, far from being a deterrent, it would bring a death sentence upon them.’

"Those bullets from before..." Xu Mo began.

Zhao Dazhu rubbed his hands together, saying a little sheepishly:

"To be honest, I never thought I’d actually be able to trade for bullets. I was just trying my luck. I didn’t expect that you, brother..."

He looked at Xu Mo gratefully, his eyes turning red-rimmed again.

Xu Mo waved a hand, cutting him off.

"Do you know what it’s really like out there right now?"

Zhao Dazhu froze for a second.

"What it’s like?"

Xu Mo looked at him and said slowly:

"It’s far more dangerous than you imagine. Zombies are everywhere, Mutant Beasts are running rampant. And some humans are more terrifying than zombies. Walking out like this, completely defenseless, you’re bound to run into trouble."

Zhao Dazhu’s face flushed slightly.

"But we had no choice. If we didn’t come out, she and the little one would have starved to death."

Xu Mo was silent for a few seconds.

What Zhao Dazhu said was true. In the face of survival, taking risks was necessary. Hiding by the underground river was safe, sure, but the resources there weren’t endless. One day, they would have had to come out.

"There’s a settlement nearby," Xu Mo said. "It’s called Linhai Town. Head northwest, it’s about a two-day journey. There are a few hundred people there. You could go check it out."

Zhao Dazhu’s eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Really," Xu Mo nodded. "I just came from there. The conditions are average, but it’s at least safer than you wandering around out here."

He told Zhao Dazhu the general direction and features of Linhai Town. Zhao Dazhu listened intently, nodding repeatedly, and even Xiufen, who was sitting to the side, showed a glimmer of life in her eyes.

"But," Xu Mo added, "whether you go or not is up to you. The road is still dangerous. The zombies might be afraid of the heat, but the Mutant Beasts aren’t. You’ll have to weigh the risks yourselves."

Zhao Dazhu was silent for a moment, then nodded solemnly.

"Thank you, brother. I’ll remember that."

The night deepened, and the light of the campfire seemed especially warm in the darkness.

Wang Xiufen held Niuniu. The child had fallen asleep again after eating, a contented smile on her little face. Wang Xiufen patted her gently, humming an unidentifiable lullaby.

Zhao Dazhu sat across from Xu Mo, staring blankly at the campfire.

Xu Mo didn’t speak, just drank his water.

After a long while, Zhao Dazhu looked up at him.

"Brother, can I ask you a question?"

Xu Mo nodded.

"Who are you?" Zhao Dazhu asked. "Why are you out here all alone? Aren’t you afraid of the danger?"

"I’m on a mission," Xu Mo explained.

"A mission?"

"Mhm. Came from far away, going even farther," Xu Mo said without elaborating. "Delivering a message."

Zhao Dazhu nodded as if he only half-understood. He didn’t ask any more questions, just remarked with a sigh, "You’re really something else."

Xu Mo didn’t respond.

After another moment, Zhao Dazhu stood up, dusting off his clothes.

"Brother, we should get going. Thank you for your hospitality tonight, and for the supplies."

Xu Mo nodded and stood up as well.

Zhao Dazhu turned to leave, but then hesitated and looked back at Xu Mo.

"Brother, aren’t you curious where we live?"

"Not curious," Xu Mo said, shaking his head.

Zhao Dazhu was taken aback for a second, then nodded.

"Right. These days, the less you know, the safer you are."

He cupped his fist to Xu Mo in a gesture of respect and turned to walk into the darkness. Wang Xiufen followed behind him, holding the child. After a few steps, she glanced back at Xu Mo, whispered, "Thank you," and then disappeared into the night.

Xu Mo sat by the campfire, watching them walk away.

He hadn’t asked where they lived, and they hadn’t said. It was a tacit understanding; knowing too much wasn’t good for either party.

The campfire continued to burn, making a CRACKLING sound.

Xu Mo sat for a while longer, then stood up and extinguished the campfire.

Sparks flickered in the darkness for a few moments before disappearing completely. Xu Mo set up his perimeter alarm, crawled into his tent, and was soon fast asleep in his sleeping bag.